Every client and situation is unique, which means that treatments can vary. On this page, you’ll find detailed descriptions of the treatments that we use here at Therapia.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that aims to change patients’ behavior and ways of thinking. The fundamental principle of CBT is that negative or unhealthy thinking patters and behaviors are partially responsible for many common psychological problems that people face. By teaching patients to view situations differently, we can help them to change their attitudes and their resulting actions.
In CBT, patients are given a metaphorical toolbox that they can pull out whenever they need help navigating difficult situations. This toolbox contains various signs for recognizing negative thought patterns, often called cognitive distortions, and strategies that can be used to reframe thoughts and disrupt these unhealthy patterns. Additionally, the toolbox contains practices that can be used to overcome symptoms of depression, anxiety, and more.
Overall, CBT is an interactive practice. Clients are often given “homework” to practice things they’ve learned from their therapist or readings that they can add to their toolboxes. The goal of CBT is to transform the client into their own therapist of sorts, able to handle difficult and/or triggering situations using the things that they’ve learned in their therapy sessions.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) is an evidence-based treatment often used to treat trauma. In an EMDR session, your therapist will ask you to think about your traumatic experience. As you are thinking about it, your therapist will draw your attention away from the memory by redirecting your eye movements. Currently there are several uses for EMDR treatment, such as traumatic memories, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and addiction. Researchers have said that this therapy is so effective for treating trauma because the distraction lessens the severity of the upsetting emotions that are connected to the experience, allowing patients to process the event without reactive behaviors being triggered.
Over time, patients are able to think about and process the traumatic event instead of ignoring it or burying it, the memory becomes more distant and the emotions associated with it change. In fact, patients who undergo EMDR therapy often end up changing negative views of themselves associated with the event to positive and encouraging views. The EMDR treatment usually takes between 10 and 12 sessions, including introductory sessions that are used to pinpoint the specific memory that will be focused on for the treatment; remember, this treatment isn’t going to work overnight. We understand that the course of the treatment can be emotionally challenging, so we work with our patients to help them cope with any side-effects of EMDR, such as stress and heightened awareness. Our goal is to create a supportive and safe space for you to heal from traumatic events in your past.
Play Therapy
In child psychotherapy, we present children with activities so that we can observe them to better understand how they are feeling. Play therapy, an evidence-based treatment modality, is one of the most effective activities that we use. Play is the primary language of children, so it is perceived as safe and inviting rather than intimidating or scary. In play therapy, children (usually under the age of 10) are presented with specific toys backed by scientific evidence and chosen to help in the therapeutic process. Depending on the situation and the child, therapists will interact with the children during play to learn more about their emotions.
Psyhcodynamic Psychotherapy
This type of therapy is based on exploring the thoughts and emotions that people have unconsciously rather than those that people have consciously. Sometimes our unconscious feelings can affect our behaviors even though we aren’t aware of those feelings. In psychodynamic psychotherapy, therapists help clients to understand themselves, their feelings, and their thought processes. In doing so, therapists help their clients improve their interpersonal relationships and their relationships with themselves. Throughout the course of this particular treatment, clients form an extremely deep and close bond to their therapist, creating a space in which they can feel comfortable in their vulnerability.
Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is a type of therapy that was developed from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). While CBT provides clients with tools so that they can understand their emotions and change their behaviors, it does not necessarily address situations in which emotional pain overwhelms the person’s ability to process their surroundings. In other words, DBT is a type of therapy that specializes in tackling emotional regulation. When emotions are out of control, it can be too difficult to implement tools of CBT. For this reason, DBT teaches clients how to recognize and accept their emotions. The goal of DBT therapy is to teach clients to understand and accept themselves, resulting in a positive and healthy relationship with self that can foster similarly positive relationships with others. This type of therapy helpful for people struggling with many different types of mental health disorders, including Borderline Personality Disorder and Bipolar Disorder.
There are some important foundational principles in DBT, one of which is called dialectical thinking. In dialectical thinking, clients are taught to process their emotions as either primary or secondary. The primary emotions are the immediate reactions that we have to the stimuli that we encounter, which is automatic and out of our control. With DBT therapy, clients learn to accept and understand these primary emotions. The secondary emotions, the responses that follow the primary emotions, are under our control; in DBT therapy, clients learn constructive ways to react to their primary emotions, thereby transforming their secondary emotions. Other important principles in DBT include 1) the distinction between helpful versus harmful responses and 2) viewing oneself and others without judgement.